


Yikes. (Nico Di Angelo Oneshots)

by qingmercy



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, BAMF Nico di Angelo, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Nico di Angelo Needs a Hug, Nico di Angelo and Will Solace are Dorks, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Will Solace is a Dork
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:34:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28006248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/qingmercy/pseuds/qingmercy
Summary: Follow Nico Di Angelo on bittersweet adventures and nostalgic trips down memory lane. Who knows, you might just find yourself travelling through the multiverse.
Relationships: Bianca di Angelo & Nico di Angelo, Nico di Angelo & Hazel Levesque, Nico di Angelo & Jason Grace, Nico di Angelo & Leo Valdez, Nico di Angelo & Percy Jackson, Nico di Angelo & Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Nico di Angelo/Will Solace
Comments: 4
Kudos: 29





	1. 'Cause now that they're gone, All I hear are the words that I needed to say

**Author's Note:**

> "If all it is is eight letters, why is it so hard to say?"  
> Will wants to tell Nico 'I love you' one more time', even if it might be a bit too late for that.

Will smiled softly, tears welling up as he looked towards the sky. He'd never be able to get this out if he looked down.

Clenching his hand around the wedding band hidden inside his jacket pocket Will drew in a shallow breath.

"When we first met I was amazed. Amazed and annoyed all at once." Will laughed thinking back on their first meeting. How Nico was slashing through the crowd of monsters, the excited grin on his face, fueled with adrenalin. The fire in Nico's eyes had always ignited something inside Will.

"God you irritated me to Tartarus, you kept getting yourself injured and you still wanted to fight" Will remembered watching the last Titan War, remembered wishing he'd been standing on the battlefield, fighting.

"I was irritated beyond belief that you still had the audacity to argue with me, even though you were half way to Elysium "

"And then after we defeated Gaia, I convinced you to stay in the infirmary with me for three days. Gods, I was excited, I wanted to be your friend so badly. I always watched you from the sidelines, tending to patients, and I finally got a chance to meet you. I thought we had a chance to be friends, even though you were only there so i could treat your wounds and help you recover."

"Those three days, they were great. I treated your wounds like I said, and before I knew it, you started opening up to me."

Will paused, drawing in a shaky breath he felt a tear slip down his face. Not bothering to brush it away he continued.

"It's no surprise I fell in love with you, I was surprised of course, but when you look back at it everything fits. I fell in love with your beautiful smile , your slight accent whenever you speak. God, your idiotic face every time we won capture the flag together."

"I fell hard, but you know how much of an idiot I am. I didn't say anything. I couldn't even look you in the eyes anymore. I never thought you would love me too but one day this feisty little ghost king cornered me in the camp's boys' bathrooms and demanded to know why I was ignoring him."

Will couldn't help but laugh as he remembered an enraged, shirtless, Nico Di Angelo yelling at him after he made sure the bathroom was empty.

"I lost it. Who wouldn't? I kissed you silly and you kissed me back just as passionately and it was the happiest moment of my life."

"I had imagined so many times what it would be like to date you but my imagination never did it justice. Our Friday horrible movie nights where we either critiqued every detail or spent the whole time making out. Meeting your crazy overprotective family- Percy and Jason threatening me to protect you, oh- Hazel and the romans too. They were absolutely terrifying. But I was glad to know you had friends like them"

"You laughed at me when Piper gave me a makeover and I'm still mad that you sent that damn picture to practically everyone but it was your phone wallpaper for months and you smiled every time you saw it so I couldn't be too angry."

"Oh! Remember when we moved to an apartment in New York? Moving in together definitely tried my patience a few times but waking up wrapped around you every morning made up for anything you or I ever did to make each other angry."

"I gave you that idiotic plastic ring I won at an arcade game. You smiled brighter then I'd ever seen and I promised you I'd get you the real one when I could."

Will's legs gave out underneath him and his knees met the ground with a dull thud. Leaning forward his head met cool stone. His throat felt like it was closing up and Will tried to breathe so hard but all he could manage were short broken sobs.

Pulling the engraved silver ring from his pocket Will placed it gently on the grave with shaking hands.

"Sorry, Death Boy. It's a bit late."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Nico and Will are college students and Nico is two years older. Nico suffers from several mental illnesses, and Will wants to help even though he may not understand what Nico is going through. After all that Nico has helped him through, it's time for Will to give back

Will has learned that when Nico gets stressed out about school and get anxiety attacks, he wants to be left alone. After two years of being dormmates with him, he knows that when there are sheets of crumpled designs and drafts littering the floor of Nico's room, he should give the art student at least an hour to recollect himself. Will leaves his door open so the black-haired student can walk into his room anytime he feels comfortable enough to show Will his sketchbook and ask for his opinion.

After three years of being friends, Will knows that Nico takes long, hot showers after a bad day to calm himself down. He also learns that Nico really enjoys emo, alternative indie and sometimes jazz and makes a mental note of the music that floats down the hall. He makes Nico's favorite food—he makes the spaghetti the way the Italian likes with extra parmesan and meat—and sets the table so they can both enjoy a nice, quiet dinner. Will doesn't push Nico to talk about what happened and talks about lighthearted subjects, like what he did in his medical class today; he wants to be an doctor one day and gets so excited about what he learns that he rambles and rambles on, and Will loves how attentive and encouraging Nico is. Nico's shoulders soon loosen, and so does his mouth, and he slowly tells Will what made him so upset.

After a year of dating, Will knows that he doesn't have to say anything when his boyfriend comes into his room and curls up to his side. He can't take away Nico's mental illnesses or his anxiety attacks or his panic attacks, but he can at least be there to brush aside the black strands of hair from Nico's tear-stained eyes. He rubs the Italian's back gently and lets his nails barely tickle Nico's skin; "It helps me fall asleep," he remembers Nico say once, "My big sister did it for me when I was in high school and had insomnia." Will can't change how Nico's throat tightens up whenever a teacher would call on him in class, he can't change how Nico's hands would get so sweaty when he's talking to someone unfamiliar and new, and he can't change how Nico overthinks about every tiny event that has happened that day.

Will doesn't have that power; the only power he wishes he has is that to show Nico how much respect he has for the older, black-haired man for the strength he has and how much anxiety he fights every day. And in an odd twist, he loves him for that; Nico is strong in ways he himself could never imagine, has strength that could lift the earth beneath him he does not see, has perseverance to touch the ceiling of the sky he does not know, but Will knows one day Nico will one day see what he sees.

But until then, Will lets Nico curl to his side and kisses his wet cheek and murmurs how much he loves him, how much his big sister loves him, how much his friends love him. Will may not fully understand his anxiety, but he knows how to be a supportive pillar for when Nico stands up on his feet again. He feels his foot falling asleep underneath Nico's leg, but he doesn't move and keeps his arms wrapped around Nico's torso. Nico rests his head against Will's chest and falls asleep to the slow ups and downs of his chest, and Will falls asleep to Nico's soft breathing.

After Nico is done being alone, Will learns how to help the Nico get back on his feet.


	3. Let's fall in love for the night and forget in the mornin'.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Space is cold, or so Leo says.
> 
> But earth is colder without the one you love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some (platonic?) valdangelo flirting, and Nico being confused about Star Wars.

Nico began alone on the mast of the Argo II.

One leg tucked into his stomach, his arms wrapped around himself and his head in the skies.

He gazed up at the midnight sky, stars hanging from the near translucent clouds lazily.

Nico wasn't the astronomer, he couldn't even name one constellation, but he still loved admiring them. The stars have always been a mystery to many, and Nico was no exception. He would often spend his time laying in the strawberry fields at night, wondering where they had came from. 

"The stars are a reminder to us that there is something much greater out there" 

Nico turned around, Leo Valdez had jumped onto the top of the mast, leaning his back on the wood.

"Something greater than the gods?" Nico asked.

"Possibly."

"What's greater than the power hungry and narcissistic lightning dude up there?" Nico joked. Thunder rumbled in the near distance, nevertheless, Leo snorted.

"I don't know... Aliens?" Leo suggested.

Leo noticed how Nico didn't react like the others did, he didn't flip out in a fit of laughter or say, 'Aliens? Those green things aren't real!'. Nico just _looked_ , the moonlight reflecting off his skin, making him seem paler than before, was that even possible? In the silence, Leo noticed small changes, Nico had unconsciously moved closer to him, his expression no longer gloomy, his scowl was long gone, replaced by a smile ghosting his lips. Nico's shoulders dropped lower, he seemed more relaxed, perhaps it was getting later than it was already. 

It was probably his ADHD or something else inside Leo, but he found himself taking in all of Nico's features. When standing, Leo stood tall compared to Nico, but up close, Leo noticed the boy's frame was even smaller. The son of Hades had discarded his aviator jacket, and to Leo's surprise, he didn't look like a skeleton, even though Leo guessed he could pick Nico up with much ease. Nico was irritatingly perfectly proportioned, his dark messy hair looked as if he just rolled out of bed, but Leo thought it looked kind of cute. Overall, Nico strangely looked, well, angelic? 

"I... I used to wish Aliens would come down to earth and take me away" Nico found himself saying. 

"Pretty cool way to die huh? Dissected by Aliens?"

"I guess"

Nico placed his head on Leo's shoulder, not looking up at him. 

Leo felt a blush creeping onto his cheeks, but quickly cleared his throat, "what's your story? I'm guessing they didn't have Aliens back in the 30s"

Nico's eyelashes fluttered, then he dropped his head into Leo's lap, kicking his legs off the railings.

"When i was younger, i couldn't handle the fact that i was half-god. I just wanted out of it. I just wanted to be whisked away to another world, i thought if I thought from a different view of the world, it would cancel out my knowledge of the gods or whatever. But i just ended up knowing more than i was supposed to." Nico said, smile wavering slightly.

"So, all-knowing one, tell me, is the great Darth Vader still alive?" Leo asked, leaning back.

"Who's Darth Vader?" Nico cocked his head, confused.

"You have a lot to learn, My Young Padawan"

And so, Leo began explaining The Star Wars Saga, with Nico's head in his lap, on the mast of the Argo II. 

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> do I take constructive criticism? no, not without crying


	4. I don't care what you thought before, I'll be there anytime you call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will should've seen the signs sooner, its a bit too late for that now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decaffeination is the removal of caffeine from coffee beans, cocoa, tea leaves, and other caffeine-containing materials. Decaffeinated drinks contain typically 1–2% of the original caffeine content, and sometimes as much as 20%. Decaffeinated products are commonly termed decaf.

Morning after morning, the sun would filter through the freshly cleaned windows as I opened the blinds, the coffee machines would start their usual stir-up, and Nico would stroll in always exactly ten minutes behind me, hands in his pockets, whistling to the tune of Safe and Sound by Capital Cities

He'd hang his aviator jacket in the back and come back into the main area, and while attempting to fit his cap over his mess of wild locks, he'd ask:

_'What coffee are you today, Sunshine?'_

For some reason, it bugged me. I had no idea what it was. Maybe it was the way he always asked. That cheerful optimism _(cough)_ that just seemed to radiate off of him. Maybe I was jealous. He was always so calm and collected, -I could never be that way. I could never give back in the ways he could.

So I didn't answer. I'd give him a slight nod, walk away, clean machines. Do something. I'd rather do anything than look at that kid.

But we worked together. There's really no avoiding someone when you work together. Especially in a small cafe that gets maybe around 10 customers per shift. We had no choice but to be together. Cleaning dishes, or restocking the pastries, doing routine maintenance tasks.

Nico always had to be the light at the end of the tunnel though.

"Why do you say that?"

Suddenly I'm not in the coffee shop, no longer surrounded by the smell of cinnamon and roasted coffee beans. I'm in a small office, a diluted lavender scent has replaced the distant smell of dark roast and the lady sitting across from me has her pen out.

"Why do I say what?"

"'He's the light at the end of the tunnel.' What does that mean?"

I roll my eyes and fall back into the plush cushions. My fingers reach out to fiddle with the plastic plant sitting on the side table next to me.

What _does_ it mean?

Nico was... he was the sun. Ironically,

He came every morning, though wearing a scowl, he could still sparkle like jewelry. And not that fake stuff you buy off of some ripoff website. He was real. Like the most expensive diamond in the world.

There was one shift. It was raining. Pouring, actually. It didn't start off bad; a few droplets in the morning, but nothing to scream about. Now, at 2 pm, it was fierce and wind driven as raindrops pelted to the earth like hail. While everyone else was smart and went home early, Nico had stubbornly stayed until closing with me.

I was mopping the floors when the smell of warm, sweet spices filled my nose. It wasn't the same as the usual baked treats we put out each morning. These were... fresh. And Nico, in all his glory, walked out of the back room, holding a tray filled with different colored frosting pipes, candy decorations and baked gingerbread men.

_"It's the middle of April"_

_"I thought decorating gingerbread men would help pass the time, be grateful. Besides we had a lot of dough left"_

Although... with the weather outside, you couldn't really tell which season it was. And everything in me wanted to protest. It was nowhere near Christmas, who knows how long that had been sitting in the freezer, we had work to do ( _not really)_ and overall I was kind of tired.

_"C'mon Solace, it's not like we have anything better to do."_

But Nico was giving me that look with his bottom lip curled into an adorable pout and his eyes were sparking like tinsel on a christmas tree and screw it if I was gonna be an jerk and say no.

I rolled my eyes and fished my phone out of my pocket, scrolling until I found what I was looking for. Seconds later, Sleigh Ride started playing loudly from my speakers.

_"If we're gonna do this, we at least have to do it right."_

Before I can even process what's happening, Nico's throwing his arms around me, hugging me from across the counter. It was a shock, we weren't all that close or anything- not enough for hugging, but here he was hugging me anyway. He was so warm, like a radiator. His hair got in my mouth, some tickling my neck.

I just stood there. Like a statue.

But dam, if it wasn't the best hug I've ever had.

"Hm, it sounds like he was a nice man."

"Yeah, I guess."

A few seconds pass by, filled with the ticking of the old clock on the wall. I continue to fiddle with the stupid plant, and then she starts speaking again.

"Will, when you first started coming in, you mentioned 'decaf' a lot. Is that relat..."

Everything around me slows down, drowned out and replaced by the very loud intense beating in my own chest. The heavy thump fills my ears like the deafening slow beat of a drum on repeat until I am back in that cafe.

Back with Nico.

Although this time, there's no warm spices in the air, there's no Christmas music in the middle of April. There's no hail-like rain outside.

Instead the day is breezy and beautiful. The sky was an expanse of sapphire blue, dotted with feathery white clouds as the radiant rays of the sun shone in the azure blue sky, casting a light golden glow upon New York. It was like something stolen out of a story book, a day despite his edgy nature, -Nico would love.

Speaking of Nico, I look around, quickly spotting him behind the counter, attempting to fit his cap over his head, like he does every morning, his lips permanently plastered into a slight frown as usual, I know what's coming next.

That stupid question.

I roll my eyes in pre-annoyance, but seconds pass. Then minutes.

Nothing.

What?

I look back and Nico is just... arranging pastries. He's setting up the coffee beans, starting to roast the beans for the morning orders. He's just.. working.

I mean, it's good.. Right? He's supposed to be working. I never really liked that annoying question anyway. It's just.. It's just a question.

It meant nothing. Means nothing.

Or maybe he just forgot.. Yeah. He just forgot and he'll probably ask the stupid question tomorrow. His stupid nerd brain must be fried or something that's all. I'll tease him about it tomorrow. It'll be fine.

But it's not fine. Because he.. forgets.. the next day. And the day after that. And on the third day, when he finally opens his mouth to say something, it's not what I'm expecting.

_"I'm a decaf."_

What? What's that supposed to mean? A decaf?

His brain must be fried. I'm sure of it now. The kid must not be sleeping . I shrug my shoulders and roll my eyes. Fine, if he doesn't want to ask the question anymore, that's better for me anyway. I don't have to think about it anymore.

But it's never quite the same after. On quiet shifts with just the two of us, he never brings out weird things to occupy our time. He comes in, spends all day just doing his work and then leaves. He doesn't stay longer than he needs to. He doesn't scowl in my direction, he doesn't shoot back a retort when I tease him.

He just... is.

He exists in my vicinity. That's all.

Meanwhile, the phrase stays the same. Day after day.

_"I'm a decaf."_

At first, it seems like he's speaking to me. But as the days pass, he mutters it quieter and quieter to himself, until one day it just stops.

Nico doesn't come into work.

I get the call later that same night.

"Will?"

The lavender scent swills around my nose and I'm back in the office. I feel a nauseating sense of relief. I should be back with you, Nico.

You needed me.

"I'm done."

The lady makes a noise of protest as she stands, tries to claim that "our session isn't over" but I don't care. I have someone who needs me.

The drive to the cemetery is less than an hour away. There's no cars on the road, but it feels louder than ever with the kid's voice ringing in my ear.

_"What coffee are you today, Sunshine?"_

I don't know. I don't know anything anymore.

_"Oh! My favorite? Probably Latte."_

_"That sugar is gonna give you cavities, Death Boy"_

_"Eh, I think it'll' be worth it."_

The road twists through different sections of the grave yard, and I pathetically stare out the window, blinking away the tears as I desperately search for section M.

_"Will! You can't just eat the pastries!"_

_"Calm down, Nico. We never get any more customers after sunset anyway."_

_"But- Mmph-. Oh! Chocolate!"_

_"don't speak with your mouth full, Neeks"_

Dang it. Where are you? My hand balls in a painful fist, my nails stab into my fleshy palm as I bang my fist against the steering wheel. My chest feels heavy, racked with guilt, with pain, with obliviousness and regret.

Nico... where are you..

_"Are you ready to go- oh."_

_"Yeah, it snowed in. I called the plow, but get comfy. It'll be a while."_

_"Well that's okay! We can... watch movies on my phone!"_

_"I-"_

_"C'mon, Sunshine. I got the new grinch movie!"_

_"Sounds like a cheesy show."_

_"...You're warm, Sunshine."_

_"Just watch the movie, Kid."_

Section M! Impulse takes over as I rush out of the car before it fully comes to a stop, rushing through the headstones with blurred vision until I finally make out a hazy "Nico Di Angelo" on the slightly reflective surface of the stone.

The weight of everything catches up to me as gravity pulls me to the ground, falling over onto the dewy grass, crushing the old flowers that were previously left there.

_"Solace, I got a new video game, do you wanna come over tonight and play or something?"_

_"No Way- your place is a mess. Come to mine."_

Nico...

_"That's all you have in your fridge? That's not even enough to make a proper breakfast."_

_"Maybe we can have breakfast at that new place down the street."_

I'm sorry...

_"I'm a decaf."_

_"I'm a decaf."_

_"I'm a decaf."_

Help me. _"Help me."_

I should've.. I didn't see you. I didn't pay enough attention. I didn't... I messed it up. I messed it all up and I'm sorry.

Nico, I'm so sorry.

A pained guttural cry rips from the depths of my throat as I fall into the hard rocky surface. My chest is tight, uneasy with regret, but I can't shy away from the pain. It's what I deserve. It's what you felt, wasn't it?

You were in pain.

You were in pain and I wasn't there for you. 

_"I'm a decaf"_


	5. And all I need is to be struck by your electric love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They both thought it was only for a night. High on life, drunk on love, maybe it'd be two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> when Will and Nico encounter each other in Puerto Rico after many years, far away from new york, they spend some time with each other, even if it was just because they wanted another taste of home.

It's already late night when, after a good dinner and some drinks, courtesy of Will, they get out of the restaurant and start making their way home.

This kind of thing has become some kind of routine for the both of them since that first encounter on the beach that one night a couple days ago. And as surprising and maybe weird it might have seemed at first, both boys more than welcomed the company, very much needed after so much time being away from home. And even though probably neither of them would admit it to the other, or even less to themselves, being able to share those brief moments, working around their schedules and new lifestyles, had filled them with a sense of calm and belonging.

Each day spent with the other had them both unconsciously looking for more. It felt like their bodies were gravitating to one another, sitting closer and closer each time until their thighs were touching, their hands intertwining... so it didn't really come as a surprise when, after so many moments shared like that, they finally ended sharing a bed too. Will's hotel bed.

It certainly hadn't been a "first" for neither Will nor Nico but it sure had felt as special as one. It had been heated and on the brink of careless and the outcome had brought with it some really nasty looking marks on their toned bodies... but some deeply rooted feelings too. Feelings that bloomed without them knowing until it had been too late to make them stop.

So here they were, holding hands in the middle of the night, losing themselves within the seas of people on the streets in Puerto Rico, stealing glances when they thought the other wasn't looking and smiling to themselves without even noticing.

"Will..." Nico's voice interrupted their quiet promenade in a careful whisper that grabbed the doctor's attention immediately. It really was uncharacteristic for Nico to speak in such a quiet tone when the guy usually radiated confidence and familiarity, an unamused expression glued onto his face.

"Could we.. Uhm.. Is it okay if we don't go back home yet?"

"Huh? But isn't it late already? You had to get up early for your job tomorrow, right?"

"It's just.. You're going back to New York in two days from now but this is our last night together."

When realization hit him, Will immediately smiled a bright excited grin and nodded. "Oh... Oh! Uhm, yeah, yeah let's do that."

And just like that, half an hour later and after a short hike until they were away from the city's lights, Will and Nico found themselves tucked away in a nearby cliff, just above one of the many beaches in the city.

Everything was quiet though, no words needed. They both sat as closer as possible to the other, their hands meeting right in the middle, Will's thumb caressing absentmindedly Nico's knuckles.

The stars were bright over their heads and the waves created ripples that shined in moonlight, a gorgeous scene, really, but none of them could even pay them any attention, too busy being lost in warm chocolate and sky blue eyes.

They had stopped being just acquaintances, started being frenemies and then companions under that same night sky that now had turned into a quiet accomplice to their secrets, to those gazes full of burning emotions. Now they were just Will Solace and Nico Di Angelo and, in that same moment, their eyes shined brighter than any other star up in the sky. It felt electric even and, as if pulled by that same electricity, they freed their hands for the sake of embracing each other, arms surrounding necks and lips talking without the need to use words.

And for now that was the only thing that mattered, the warmth of the other's body next to his, their tongues tasting their souls, unafraid.

Tomorrow might be different, might bring consequences or unavoidable goodbyes, shattered hearts lost in the sand of the beaches in Puerto Rico.

But not now, not that night

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, my name's bia and i'm a former Wattpad writer, its nice to meet you. This is one of my first works on Ao3, i hope you liked it!


End file.
